I don't recommend "A Handful of Pearls" to most readers. But anyone
wanting to understand how people do truly evil acts while imagining
themselves to be the mistreated heroes of their own self-narratives,
then this story is a must read. I'm certain that long after the fun
stories I've read this year fade from memory, "A Handful of Pearls"
will remain.

Six months after writing that statement it remains true, just as Bernobich's story remains lodged in my mind.